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/lit/ - Literature

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9631065 No.9631065 [Reply] [Original]

Consider the following two sentences:

1) Wondercow didn't like the woman standing in front of him at the concert
2) Wondercow didn't like the woman's standing in front of him at the concert


Which sentence would be correct here?
>inb4 prescriptivism

>> No.9631071

1 states that wondercow doesn't like the woman herself
2 statest that wondercow doesn't like that the woman is standing in front of him

can't say which is correct without knowing which you were aiming for

>> No.9631092

>>9631071
The second. It only dawned on me that I have been committing the same solecism for twenty years. Twenty years.

What about this then?
>I could not stand his being an idiot.

>> No.9631281

bump

>> No.9631313

I don't like his being an idiot? Or him?

>> No.9631426

>>9631313
Father, son or sibling the former. All else the latter. To stretch..

>> No.9631491

>>9631426
I am an idiot for not understanding what you said.

>> No.9631518

>>9631065
the second one is more correct, but one could still interpret "the woman's standing" to mean her social standing. that would be a pretty willful misinterpretation though

>> No.9631881

>>9631092
I can not stand your being an idiot.